Professionals Advocate

Risk Management

In today’s litigious society, risk management is essential to the practice of quality dentistry. ProAd offers the resources you need to minimize your risks as a health care provider.

Whether you are a Dentist or staff, we offer resources and education programs to help reduce your litigation risk.

In-person, online and home study education programs presented by knowledgeable dental, legal and claims management experts. Participants can receive premium discounts and CE Credits.
A library of online risk management resources for a wide variety of topics, including patient care, communications, record keeping and much more.

Need to talk to a person? Risk management experts are available via phone (410-785-0050, or toll free at 800-492-0193) 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and email to answer your individual questions. If you have a practice-related question or concern, we’re ready to listen and offer guidance to help you identify and reduce your liability risk exposure. Please note, however, that any advice we give should not be construed as legal advice.

Education Programs

Search and register for our 2024 risk management education programs.

Dear Colleague:

The 2024 risk management education program schedule has arrived! This year’s programming will help you identify and mitigate risk so that it does not invade your practice.

Our programs are offered in three different modalities: live in-person, live webinar, and online self-paced. Doctors who complete one of the programs will earn CDE credits and a premium credit on their next renewal policy. Please review our 2024 Risk Management Program webpage and register online today!

If you have any questions, please call the Risk Management Department at 410-785-0050 or 800-492-0193.

Sincerely,

George S. Malouf, Jr. M.D., FACS
Chair of the Board

Search & Register for a Program

LIVE IN-PERSON/LIVE WEBINARS

MEDICAL MUTUAL and Professionals Advocate (ProAd) will continue to utilize GoToWebinar to facilitate our live online webinar training in 2023. In addition to live webinars, we are excited to offer live in person events again. Once you have registered for the program, you will receive an email from MEDICAL MUTUAL/ProAd containing a URL to register for the webinar with GoToWebinar – you will only need to enter your name and email address into their system. If you are attending a live in-person program, you will receive a confirmation notice along with the date, time and location of the event.

For webinars, you will receive a confirmation email from GoToWebinar containing a “Join Now” link to access the webinar and instructions on how to do so the day of the event. You will either use your computer’s audio (VoIP) or your telephone for audio. For the best possible experience, please use a desktop or laptop computer with a headset for audio. We do not recommend logging in through your mobile device. The audio only (dial in) option is no longer available. To insure you have good sound quality during the webinar we suggest testing the connection of all of your audio devices prior to the event. We suggest creating a calendar event to remind you of the webinar. You will also receive additional reminder emails to alert you of the upcoming webinar.

Day of the event: You will receive an email alerting you that the event is about to take place. You may log in 30 minutes prior to the event. You will enter the meeting muted. Any course materials (if applicable) will be attached as handouts that you can access on the side task bar at any time. Once the webinar starts, one of our coordinators or speakers will make an announcement. During the program, if you have any questions or comments, please use the chat function and one of our coordinators will alert the presenter and your question will be addressed. Much like our live in-person training, you will need to be present for the entire course. The same “grace period” is applied to webinars (no one admitted to the webinar after 6:30 – see program schedule below for additional details). Once the program is completed, a pop-up window will appear which will ask you to complete a brief evaluation of the course you just attended. We ask that you complete the evaluation to assist us in providing the best possible programs for our Insureds. After you have completed the program a copy of your certificate of completion will be emailed to you at the email address you provided.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION — DENTAL PROGRAMS

PROGRAM FEE

The first program costs $60 per person. Additional programs cost $30 per person.

*Note: The Infection Control course is $75.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

5:30 p.m. Registration and light dinner (if attending in-person)/Log into webinar and wait for session to begin

6:00 p.m. Program begins

6:30 p.m. Grace period ends (no one admitted after this time)

8:00 p.m. Program ends

Please note: You MUST participate in the entire program to quality for a discount and CDE Credits. Only participants who sign in prior to 6:30 p.m. and who stay until the end of the presentation will be counted as in attendance and receive the discount and CDE Credits.

CANCELLATION / RESCHEDULE POLICY

If you have already paid for a program and would like to reschedule for a different program or date, please call our Risk Management department at 800-492-0193 or 410-785-0050. We will apply your payment to another program of your choosing. However, due to program commitments for facilities, program fees are non-refundable in the event you are unable to attend. Should we cancel a program due to insufficient registration, your payment may be refunded or applied to a new date.

Accreditation

ACCREDITATION STATEMENT

Professionals Advocate Insurance Company is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider

ADA CERP Is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry.

DESIGNATION STATEMENT

Professionals Advocate designates this activity for 2.0 Continuing Dental Education Credits

DISCLOSURE POLICY

It is the policy of MEDICAL MUTUAL to ensure balance, independence, objectivity and scientific rigor in all its sponsored educational activities. All faculty participating in activities sponsored by MEDICAL MUTUAL are expected to disclose to the program participants any relevant financial relationships related to the content of their presentation(s).

If you have any questions, please contact our Risk Management Services Department at 410-785-0050.

Search & Register for a Program

Doctors RX Newsletter

Our risk management newsletter addresses timely topics in health care.

Podcasts

Browse our library of risk management podcasts. Topics cover Doctor-Patient communications, practice issues, managing claims and much more.

Stay up-to-date while you're on-the-go! Listen online or download our podcasts to keep abreast of the latest issues in claims, communications, practice management and risk management.

Risk Management Alerts

We collect risk management news and alerts issued by dental organizations so you can view them all in one convenient place.

The latest risk management news and alerts issued by dental organizations.

Risk Management Dental News

Read the latest dental news.

Up-to-the-minute dental news from around the web.

HIPAA Practice Risk Survey

This free, 40-question online survey helps you evaluate the strength of your practice's electronic PII protection planning.

Evaluate the strength of your practice’s cyber security with this 40-question survey, designed by our security and risk management experts.

Start the Assessment

This 40-question online survey is designed to help you assess the status of your electronic security and PII protection planning. After each question, you will receive a response indicating whether your answer was correct or incorrect and additional information on the topic.

Topics include:

Physical security and access controls
Network security
Employee access
Storage and backup security
Policies and procedures

For questions regarding how best to reduce risk in your practice, browse our risk management resource center or contact us.

Med-Rite

It’s time to have your office looked at by a specialist. With our Med-Rite program, a Professionals Advocate risk management expert can come to your office to identify opportunities for reducing risk.

What is Med-Rite?

At Professionals Advocate, we strive to make managing your risk as simple as possible. That’s why we offer Med-Rite, a complete office assessment program designed to identify areas of risk in your office. One of our experienced risk management specialists will visit your practice for a comprehensive review and evaluation of your procedures, facilities and staff in order to identify potential areas of risk and opportunities for an improved patient care experience.

Our goal is to design an action plan that integrates the needs of the patient and Dentist. After you assessment, we will work with you to formulate a comprehensive risk improvement program that identifies your areas of risk and provides specialty-specific recommendations for the best course of action for your unique practice.

Areas assessed include:

Office guidelines and protocols
Non-clinical record keeping
Patient records
Communication practices
Follow-up practices
Scheduling processes
Staff development and supervision
Facility appearance
Maintenance
Safety procedures
and much more

Eligible Practices

Med-Rite is customized to meet the unique needs of each practice, Dentist and facility that wishes to participate. It is suitable for everyone, from large, multi-specialty practices to solo practitioners.

To request a Med-Rite visit or learn more, call us today at 1-800-492-1093.

Practice Self-Assessment Survey

Is your practice vulnerable to a lawsuit? This short survey highlights areas within the non-clinical aspect of your practice that may affect the likelihood of a lawsuit.

Is your practice protocol leaving you open to lawsuits? This short self-survey can help you identify risk.

The Office Practice Self-Assessment Survey is a short self-survey designed to help you determine which areas within the non-clinical aspect of your practice may be leaving you open to a lawsuit. Dental record documentation, patient scheduling, prescriptions and patient communications are all non-clinical aspects of your practice that can affect the likelihood of a claim.

Topics include:

Patient privacy
Telecommunications
Follow-up appointment protocol
Missed or cancelled appointment protocol
Lab result notifications
Patient chart maintenance

For questions regarding how best to reduce risk in your practice, browse our risk management resource center or contact us.

Risk Management FAQ

Our risk management specialists answer some of the most common questions they receive from Dentists and practice managers.

Medical Records

How long must I keep medical records?

ProAd recommends that you keep your records indefinitely. However, requirements vary by state. Contact ProAd's Risk Management department for advice for your practice.

How long must I keep billing records, schedule books, etc.?

ProAd recommends that you keep these records indefinitely. They can be very important in the defense of a claim.

Patient Relationships

How do I handle a non-compliant patient?

Document everything the patient has or has not done which shows his/her non-compliance.
Send the patient a letter (send both regular and certified mail) explaining the treatment recommended and the importance of compliance. You may indicate that continued non-compliance could result in termination of the Doctor-Patient relationship.

How do I terminate the Doctor-patient relationship?

Do not terminate the relationship during an acute situation — this could lead to allegations of abandonment. When it is appropriate to terminate, send the patient a letter (send both regular and certified mail) stating:

Your desire to terminate the relationship;
Your willingness to handle any emergency situations for the next 30 days;
Suggestions on where to find another Dentist (i.e. the county medical society);
The patient’s current dental situation and their current dental needs, if any;
Your willingness to send a copy of their medical record to their new Dentist.

If the patient belongs to a managed care organization, you must first check with them to determine termination protocol, if any.

What should I do when a managed care organization does not approve recommended treatment?

You need to go through the appeals process with the managed care entity.
Advise the patient your recommended treatment was not approved and give the patient their options (including paying for the recommended treatment themselves).
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